Sunday, August 21, 2011

edcamp

Wow...  just Wow!

edcamps are spreading across the edu-sphere.  Teachers, tired of conferences where the "power that be" predetermine who will speak, when they will speak, and where, leaving teachers wondering if they should promenade down the exhibiter's hall or take in the local sights around the cookie-cutter conference center.

I attended edcampSFBay, hosted at Skyline High School (where I work) this past weekend.

edcamps are completely democratic.  Attendees began posting ideas for sessions on the groups website weeks prior to the event.  Even as late as that morning, more attendees had more ideas for more sessions.  Then it was time to vote with our feet.  We found the sessions that sounded most interesting; bounced from sessions to session if our needs weren't being met or if we just couldn't bare the opportunity costs of attending only one session that hour.

With computers, iPads, and smartphones, people at Skyline (and many who couldn't make it) kept up with colleagues and ideas on the live twitter stream, #edcampsfbay.

Here is an animoto show I mashed together from my pictures of edcamp.... hope you enjoy!